Bio
Kunal Nayyar is an Indian actor best known for his role as the nerdy and socially-neurotic Rajesh Koothrappali on the sitcom The Big Bang Theory, since 2007.
His role in The Big Bang Theory is his first as a regular on a television series.
He had a guest starring role on NCIS in the 2007 episode entitled "Suspicion" (Season 4, Episode 12), playing Youssef Zidan, a terrorist.
His critically acclaimed play, Cotton Candy, continues to run in New Delhi.
His theatre acting credits include Huck and Holden at the Dahlia Theatre in Los Angeles, for which Kunal was awarded Best Male Lead in a play on the West Coast by the Garland Awards; and Loves Labors Lost at the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford upon Avon, England.
Nayyar began acting in musicals and plays at a young age. After high school, he left India for the United States where he majored in business and took many acting classes at the University of Portland.
In his senior year, he was nominated as the best actor in his play, The Rose Tattoo, and was given an invitation to the American College Theater Festival (ACTF) to compete in an acting competition where he eventually won the Mark Twain Award for comic brilliance, as well as a fellowship to the prestigious Sundance Theater Lab.
He went on to receive his Masters in Fine Arts (MFA) from Temple University in Philadelphia.
Nayyar played badminton for his school team and competed at state level in the region of North India. He is also a fanatical fan of cricket.
He was born in London, England, and spent most of his younger years growing up in New Delhi, India. He currently resides in Los Angeles.